Publications related to RETRACTED: Bioflocculation: An alternative strategy for harvesting of microalgae - An overview

Combined Earth observations reveal the sequence of conditions leading to a large algal bloom in Lake Geneva

Damien Bouffard, Abolfazl Irani Rahaghi, Marco Toffolon, Oscar Rodrigo Sepúlveda Steiner, Rafael Sebastian Reiss, Frédéric Charles Soulignac

Freshwater algae exhibit complex dynamics, particularly in meso-oligotrophic lakes with sudden and dramatic increases in algal biomass following long periods of low background concentration. While the fundamental prerequisites for algal blooms, namely ligh ...

Springernature2024

Symbiotic nutrient cycling enables the long-term survival of Aiptasia in the absence of heterotrophic food sources

Anders Meibom, Nils Rädecker

Phototrophic Cnidaria are mixotrophic organisms that can complement their het- erotrophic diet with nutrients assimilated by their algal endosymbionts. Metabolic mod- els suggest that the translocation of photosynthates and their derivatives from the algae ...

2023

Methods and devices for cultivating coenocytic algae

Christian Ludwig, Enio Daniel Zanchetta, Eya Nicodeme

The present invention concerns methods and devices for cultivating coenocytic algae and for producing cellulose, in particular microfibrillated cellulose (MFC). In one embodiment, the algae are grown on a solid substrate immersed in liquid culture medium. ...

2023

Coupled carbon and nitrogen cycling regulates the cnidarian–algal symbiosis

Anders Meibom, Stéphane Laurent Escrig, Nils Rädecker

Efficient nutrient recycling underpins the ecological success of cnidarian-algal symbioses in oligotrophic waters. In these symbioses, nitrogen limitation restricts the growth of algal endosymbionts in hospite and stimulates their release of photosynthates ...

Nature Research2023

The biofilm ecology of proglacial floodplain streams

Jade Brandani

Glacial forelands figure among the most dynamic landscapes on Earth, and their formation is currently accelerating given glacier shrinkage. Draining these forelands are streams hosting unique microbial communities, which have the capacity to impact both th ...

EPFL2023

Glacier shrinkage will accelerate downstream decomposition of organic matter and alters microbiome structure and function

Nicola Deluigi, Leïla Ezzat, Vincent Henri De Staercke, Tom Ian Battin, Paraskevi Pramateftaki, Hannes Markus Peter, Jade Brandani, Matteo Tolosano, Michail Styllas, Tyler Joe Kohler, Stylianos Fodelianakis, Massimo Bourquin, Martina Andrea Schön, Susheel Bhanu Busi, Grégoire Marie Octave Edouard Michoud

The shrinking of glaciers is among the most iconic consequences of climate change. Despite this, the downstream consequences for ecosystem processes and related microbiome structure and function remain poorly understood. Here, using a space-for-time substi ...

Wiley2022

Presence of algal symbionts affects denitrifying bacterial communities in the sea anemone Aiptasia coral model

Anders Meibom, Nils Rädecker, Claudia Isabella Pogoreutz

The coral-algal symbiosis is maintained by a constant and limited nitrogen availability in the holobiont. Denitrifiers, i.e., prokaryotes reducing nitrate/nitrite to dinitrogen, could contribute to maintaining the nitrogen limitation in the coral holobiont ...

2022

Robust and sustainable cultivation of microalgae: recycling of nitrogen from liquid digestate and control of biological contamination

Adrian Pulgarin

The present doctoral thesis aimed to achieve a robust cultivation of microalgae by recycling nitrogen from a liquid digestate. However, the use of non-sterile nutrient source increases the risks of contamination of undesired organisms such as bacteria, vir ...

EPFL2021

Enhancing Algae Biomass Production by Using Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells as Filters

Mohammad Khaja Nazeeruddin, Christian Ludwig, Peng Qin, Eya Nicodeme, Shivom Sharma

One of the most promising options for decreasing the costs of microalgae production is enhancing the production and reducing the energy demand of the culturing systems and the high surface area requirements. Because microalgae growth requires only specific ...

2021

Biotechnology Applications of Nanocarbons in Plant and Algal Systems

Ardemis Anoush Boghossian, Alessandra Antonucci, Alice Judith Gillen

The unique combination of structural, optical, and electronic properties of nanocarbons (NCs) has made these materials particularly attractive for various applications in biotechnology and biomedicine, ranging from sensing, gene-delivery, bioimaging and th ...

Royal Society of Chemistry2021

Algal cellulose, production and potential use in plastics: Challenges and opportunities

Horst Pick, Christian Ludwig, Adrian Pulgarin, Enio Daniel Zanchetta, Eya Nicodeme, Tobias Borgmeyer

The development of new biodegradable plastic materials from renewable sources is a major challenge for plastic industries to provide sustainable alternatives to petroleum plastic. Bio-based plastics are generally obtained from photosynthetic biomass such a ...

2021

Production of Algae for Biomaterials and Bioenergy: Closing the Nutrient Cycle and Enhancing the Light Utilisation Efficiency

Eya Nicodeme

Microalgae are small organisms that live in water and use solar energy or artificial light to grow. They are emerging to be one of the most promising long-term, sustainable sources of biomass for fuel, food, feed, and other high valuable co-products. Like ...

EPFL2020

Co-culture of microalgae-activated sludge for wastewater treatment and biomass production: Exploring their role under different inoculation ratios

Florian Frédéric Vincent Breider

In this study, mixed culture (microalgae:activated sludge) of a photobioreactor (PBR) were investigated at different inoculation ratios (1:0, 9:1, 3:1, 1:1, 0:1 wt/wt). This work was not only to determine the optimal ratio for pollutant remediation and bio ...

Elsevier2020

A combined hydrothermal gasification - solid oxide fuel cell system for sustainable production of algal biomass and energy

Jan Van Herle, François Maréchal, Christian Ludwig, Hossein Madi, Eya Nicodeme, Shivom Sharma

Hydrothermal gasification (HTG) is a promising technology that allows the recovery of nutrients from wet biomass with simultaneous production of an energy-rich gas. In this work, wastewater effluent (leachate) obtained from a composter sanitary system oper ...

2019

Extraction of carotenoids from Chlorella vulgaris using green solvents and syngas production from residual biomass

Jean-Paul Schwitzguebel, Christof Holliger, Christian Ludwig, Shivom Sharma, Dominik Refardt

A combined process for carotenoids extraction and efficient bioenergy recovery from the wet microalgae biomass is proposed. High added-value products could thus be extracted prior a hydrothermal gasification of the algal biomass into synthetic natural gas. ...

2017

Product diversification in the sugarcane biorefinery through algae growth and supercritical CO 2 extraction: Thermal and economic analysis

François Maréchal, Adriano Viana Ensinas

The sugarcane sector in Brazil has undergone a major modernization in the last thirty years. Embracing the biorefinery concept, this sector is investigating bioproduct diversification and mostly putting a lot of effort and investment on second generation e ...

Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd2017

Interaction of silver nanoparticles with algae and fish cells: a side by side comparison

Renata Behra, Laura Sigg, Yang Yue, Kristin Schirmer, Xiaomei Li

Background: Silver nanoparticles (AgNP) are widely applied and can, upon use, be released into the aquatic environment. This raises concerns about potential impacts of AgNP on aquatic organisms. We here present a side by side comparison of the interaction ...

Biomed Central Ltd2017

Allelopathic Activity of the Iron Chelator Anachelin-A Molecular Hybrid with a Dual Mode of Action

Karl Gademann

One of the compounds suggested to be responsible for the cyanobacterial dominance over competing green algae is identified. Evidence is provided on the molecular, chemical level that the iron chelator anachelin from the cyanobacterium Anabaena cylindrica p ...

Wiley-V C H Verlag Gmbh2016

Life cycle assessment of algae biodiesel and its co-products

Edgard Gnansounou, Jegannathan Kenthorai Raman

There is a need to explore alternative energy sources to meet the future energy demand in a sustainable way. Algae could be a potential feed stock for biodiesel and other co-products such as animal feed and chemicals. Life cycle assessment (LCA) of such pr ...

Elsevier2016

Opportunities for Switzerland to Contribute to the Production of Algal Biofuels: the Hydrothermal Pathway to Bio-Methane

François Richard Vuille, Christian Ludwig, Mariluz Bagnoud, Dominik Refardt

Microalgae have a significant potential to be a sustainable source of fuel and thus are of interest in the transition to a sustainable energy system, in particular for resource-dependent countries such as Switzerland. Independence of fossil fuels, consider ...

Swiss Chemical Soc2015